It was chaotic, it was end-to-end, it was what Manchester United is all about.
Yes, Monday's thriller with Bournemouth only saw Ruben Amorim's side collect a solitary point, as they did in the previous Old Trafford outing against West Ham United, although those two performances were simply chalk and cheese.
Against the Hammers, and against Everton before that, the Portuguese was reticent to take the handbrake off, frustratingly rigid in a tactical philosophy that regularly irks the United faithful.
Bruno-Fernandes-Man-Utd (3)
Perhaps it's been coming, although that pragmatism and caution went out the window to some degree against the Cherries, with Amorim throwing on Benjamin Sesko as the hosts chased an equaliser at 3-2 down.
What followed was a remarkable few minutes, capped by Matheus Cunha's second goal for the club, with there only a slight frustration that the bubble was burst by Eli Junior Kroupi's late equaliser.
Another chance to move fifth in the Premier League table was missed, although there were flashes of what this Amorim team can look like with everyone fit and firing at the top end of the pitch - how about adding in even more attacking quality too?
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January is a notoriously difficult window to do business in, with recent years having seen United left scrambling for short-term fixes, ranging from Wout Weghorst to Odion Ighalo.
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After an almost £250m spend over the summer, it would be no surprise if the Red Devils seek out short-term moves again in the New Year, with recent reports suggesting that a loan to buy bid could be made for Atletico Madrid's Conor Gallagher, while the club could also pounce on the chance to land soon-to-be free agent, Ruben Neves, from Al Hilal.
As the Independent's Miguel Delaney has outlined, it is the midfield, unsurprisingly, which remains the 'priority' for INEOS heading into 2026, with both Carlos Baleba and Elliot Anderson deemed to be the 'top targets'.
Excitingly too, however, the respected journalist has also suggested that an attacking addition could be in the works, having revealed that United are weighing up a move for Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo next month.
According to Delaney, while INEOS are preparing for further investment next summer, they would move for Semenyo in January, should any rival suitors try to steal a march on the Ghanaian. He is available for £65m owing to a release clause which can be activated in the New Year.
The belief is that Amorim and co admire the 25-year-old's ability to feature as a forward and a wing-back, with the ex-Bristol City star, for what it's worth, said to be 'open to such a move'.
Why Semenyo could be unplayable alongside Cunha
There have been a raft of what you could call 'auditions' against United in recent weeks, ranging from Baleba, Anderson, Adam Wharton and now Semenyo, with the latter of that list doing his chances of earning a move no harm after starring on Monday.
Kept quiet initially on the night, the in-demand sensation dragged his side level with a trademark surging run down the right flank, before lashing past Senne Lammens for his seventh league goal of the season, rubberstamping Amorim's view that he is a "special player".
Described as looking "unstoppable" right now by talkSPORT pundit Darren Bent, Semenyo has been the main man under Andoni Iraola over the last 18 months or so, racking up 41 goals and assists in just 94 games under the Basque boss to date, across a variety of roles.
Premier League top scorers after game week 16
It is that flexibility to feature all across the frontline and on the flanks that is so appealing to Amorim, alongside the forward's two-footedness, with it a mouthwatering prospect to imagine him lining up in a wing-back berth for United in 2026.
Amad on one side, with Mbeumo ahead of him. Semenyo on the other, with Cunha ahead of him. All rounded off with the aforementioned Sesko as the attacking figurehead.
Semenyo vs Man Utd
Stat
Minutes
Touches
Goals
Big chances created
Key passes
Pass accuracy
Possession lost
Ground duels won
Aerial dues won
Stats via Sofascore
The defence might have their work cut out, although such a set-up could well revive that Sir Alex Ferguson-esque approach of all-out attack, taking the game to the opposition rather than simply waiting to be picked off.
Such a shake-up would also seemingly aid Cunha in that left-sided number ten role, with the Brazilian - who has scored just twice to date - likely not aided by the carousel of players who have been deployed in the wing-back berth behind him this term, namely Patrick Dorgu and Diogo Dalot.
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Having an out-and-out attacker like Semenyo in that role would surely stretch the pitch even more and free up space for Cunha to create some magic more centrally, with the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers star having netted after Sesko's lung-bursting run down the left earlier this week.
With frightening pace and power, having been hailed as a "nightmare to play against" in the past by former Bristol boss, Nigel Pearson, Semenyo would be yet another figure for the opposition to fear and try to shackle, ensuring Cunha and co alongside him should have more joy and freedom to create chaos themselves in the final third.
While the £65m man's goal last time out did come up against Luke Shaw down Bournemouth's right, his quality on the opposite side was no more evident than against Fulham earlier in the campaign, having somehow squeezed the ball home from the most acute angle with the rain lashing down at the Vitality Stadium.
There is, undoubtedly, a wow factor to the versatile south coast star, and for a United side devoid of genuine depth in attack, that sprinkling of extra magic would surely go down a treat.
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